Voltaire

A Full Evening At Voltaire

A wonderful venue for an entire evening of entertainment waits for you at Chicago's new Supper Club, Voltaire. In fact, it may be the only establishment in the country that exists as a true Supper Club. By that I mean the 1940's concept of a complete evening's entertainment, where one arrived, had cocktails at the bar, was seated for dinner, dined on fine food, then enjoyed a floor show with dancers and singers, which then climaxes with the main show featuring a fabulous headliner (like me! :)). This is the unique evening that Voltaire offers, and it does every aspect quite well.

The Club has a casual, warm atmosphere with accents of dark wood and soft lighting. When you enter, you are in the bar area, which faces the main room with the stage at the far end. This allows for viewing the show from the bar if you choose to. There is also additional seating in a side dining room away from the entertainment.

My husband, Bob, and I enjoyed the night out with two friends so we sampled quite a few dishes. After we had our lovely Martinis with blue cheese olives, we ordered our appetizers. First we sampled the Crisp Sweet Asian Apple and Spinach salad with pecans and gorgonzola in a peppered-bacon vinaigrette; then onto Green Lip Mussels in a garlic, white wine broth with herbs; and finishing the first course with an outstanding soup that evening, Carrot Bisque with Shrimp. All were exceptional!

For our entrees we enjoyed, Grilled Beef Tenderloin served with horseradish mashed potatoes, and a roasted shallot and chive butter; Penne Pasta with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and goat cheese; Seared Ahi Tuna in a ginger pepper butter sauce. All were delicious, but the absolute standout was the Hazelnut Crusted Chicken Breast served with a spicy three mustard sauce. It is heaven! The menu also makes some wonderful wine suggestions for each entrée.

Just as we were moving into our deserts, Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee and Blueberry Peach Cobbler, the floor show began.

The multi-talented musical director, pianist, singer Freddie Allen, and drummer Duane Harvey act as orchestra for the seven-person musical review that happens twice a night at Voltaire. The shows change every week in rep. The themes range from a swing show to a '50s review to a country tribute. The resident cast consists of six very talented Broadway style singer/dancers, and the centerpiece is Voltaire's own resident diva, Amy Armstrong. She has a wonderfully strong belter voice, a great stage presence and rapport with the audience and is quite a comedienne as well. The floor show is about 40 minutes of pure entertainment.

After the floor show, the stage is rearranged to bring up the Headliner, who sometimes is yours truly, Spider Saloff, with my jazz trio. Others who have played in this spot are the likes of Phyllis Diller and Judy Tenuta; scheduled in the near future is Joan Rivers.

This is the format for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at Voltaire. Other nights of the evening vary but there is always entertainment and fabulous food. I will be appearing at Voltaire the weekends of August 24, 25 and 26, and September 7, 8, and 9.

It is always a star studded evening, with the big star being Executive Chef Daniel Blejski.